It’s July 1, and at OpenDNS that means opening day for SysAdmin Appreciation Month. If you recall last year we made a big decision: SysAdmin Appreciation Day, which is July 25, is not enough. We need an entire month to show our SysAdmin love.

This year we’re doing the SysAdmin Awards a bit differently. There are four categories, in addition to the highest honor, SysAdmin of the Year 2008. The SysAdmin of the Year 2008 will be selected from the submissions to the four categories.

Nominate yourself, or nominate a peer. If you’re reading this, and you aren’t a SysAdmin, I can guarantee you benefit from a SysAdmin, so take a moment to recognize him or her. This is your chance to acknowledge the SysAdmin who keeps your Internets running.

Rules for nominations are simple. Send an e-mail to awards at opendns.com, indicate which category you’re nominating for in the subject line and tell us why your nominee deserves glory. Judging will be done by OpenDNS CEO David Ulevitch (a former SysAdmin himself) and the all-star operations team of George Patterson, Bill Fumerola and Jesse Davidson. The deadline for submissions is midnight on July 22, the night before the OpenDNS SysAdmin Appreciation Party in San Francisco. The real prize is the sheer honor that comes with being selected, but winners will also receive a $50 American Express gift card and be announced right here on this blog. The 2008 SysAdmin of the Year will get $200, a winner’s package of OpenDNS clothing and schwag and a spotlight on our Web site. This is the real deal.

So without further ado, your 2008 OpenDNS SysAdmin Awards categories are:

Best Disaster Response Award

A hurricane, a fire, an earthquake. A datacenter meltdown. Something that would have caused business operations to shut down completely, if it weren’t for this SysAdmin. Like a knight in shining armor, this SysAdmin managed to keep the network up and running.

Unbelievable Uptime Award

SysAdmins take pride in total uptime and this SysAdmin’s router has been up for years. Heck, it’s been up so long he/she might not even remember where it is. Wow the judges with a number of straight days of uptime.

Shoestring Budget Award

This SysAdmin works wonders with a seriously tight budget. Tell us about the SysAdmin with the craziest buildout done on the cheap. We need details for this submission - tell the judges specs, total cost and what kind of awesomeness it powers.

Flying Solo Award

Even with a team of talented operators, SysAdmin’ing is not easy work. But when flying solo it can be downright heroic. Regale us with a (true) story of the heroic sysadmin who saved the world (or did something awesome).

That’s it SysAdmins. Good luck.

Web celeb Chris Pirillo, of Lockergnome fame, made a hilarious video of a phone conversation with his Dad. Chances are, the context rings familiar for you: he’s made a tweak to his Dad’s router — set up OpenDNS — and is trying to explain it. (”No, Dad. It has nothing to do with Microsoft Word. I have no idea why Microsoft Word is acting up…”)

Huge thanks to Chris for helping us spread the word about the Gift of Safe, a.k.a. OpenDNS. This holiday season we’re asking our fantastic users to give their friends and family the Gift of Safe by telling them about OpenDNS. We’ve made it super easy with an e-mail form and simplified instructions.

So enjoy the video, and give the Gift of Safe. Who will you give it to?

www.giftofsafe.com

Happy Holidays everyone!

Opera and OpenDNS announced this morning that the latest version of the browser blocks phishing sites with PhishTank data. We’re pretty excited about it. (Just blogged about this over on the PhishTank blog, too.)

If you’re poking around the site because you were given the Gift of Safe by an Opera user, welcome.

If you have any problems setting up OpenDNS don’t hesitate to e-mail us at contact at opendns dot com. We’ll reply asap and help you get started. And once you’re all set, pay it forward. Give the Gift of Safe to everyone you want to protect from phishing sites.

If you’d like to add your story, send it along with a photo to gift of safe at opendns dot com. It’s a great way to show someone you care about them without spending any money.

A quick post to thank everyone who has added their story Gift of Safe so far. That’s Judi, Paul, Daniel, Tom, Al, Trey, Alek, Rick, Michelle, Eddy and Chai.

Thanks also to those of you who have given the Gift of Safe by sending an e-mail from the site to family and friends. It’s a great holiday gift and I’m confident those who’ve received it appreciate it.

If you haven’t yet told us who you’d keep safe from phishing, please do! Add your story by sending an e-mail to giftofsafe at opendns dot com. I’ll get the e-mail and make sure your story is added to the site as soon as possible. Most people have sent a picture, either of the person they would protect or the two of them together. A picture is certainly not required, but makes your story more interesting for others to read.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Check out our holiday campaign, The Gift of Safe.

We asked a handful of OpenDNS users who they would give the Gift of Safe to, or who they would keep safe from phishing. The answers are good - some are funny, some are touching, all are heartfelt.

I know there are lots of people who aren’t necessarily on your gift list, but who you would like to show your appreciation to. What better a gift than helping to keep them safe?

Give the Gift of Safe, and add your story.

Who would you protect?

http://www.thegiftofsafe.com